Some time earlier.
Today was the day Miku and the baby were being discharged, so Ray and the girls decorated the house and prepared a delicious festive dinner. Miku was very happy with such a warm welcome.
Rocky had ended up in the hospital, so Frank's family couldn't come. Upon hearing this, Ray and the girls wanted to cancel dinner, but Jill insisted they shouldn't.
Tyler and his wife had gone abroad for treatment — they were still trying to have a child, so they weren't there either. Apart from Deya and Yuno, everyone else was present.
Ray decided to have another celebration when everyone could gather.
No one in Ray's family drank, so when Kira stood up to make a toast, her glass contained orange juice.
"Miku, I want to thank you. We were all waiting for our little one."
Kira's words were sincere. Miku said the baby would be surrounded by love from all sides, but sometimes she felt her older daughter wasn't getting enough attention.
Ray was also about to say something, but the doorbell interrupted his plans.
"I'll get it," Sam said.
Everyone's first thought was that one of their friends had decided to surprise them.
But as soon as the door opened, the sound of automatic gunfire burst into their ears.
Everything happened so fast that no one had time to react. Ray managed to draw the two pistols he always carried and fired a couple of precise shots, taking down the duo trying to storm the living room.
But then several grenades were thrown in — flashbangs and fragmentation. Ray threw himself to the floor, covering Amaya with his body.
The first thing he heard was Miku's heart-wrenching scream. He looked at her and saw the girl, badly wounded by shrapnel, holding a bloodied baby in her arms. She had tried to protect her, but the little girl had caught several fragments.
Kira's lifeless body lay motionless. The sight filled Ray with a surge of rage.
He quickly opened the safe under the table. The pain he felt faded into the background. Pulling out several pistols and grenades, he looked around and saw they weren't being finished off — the guests were dousing everything with gasoline. It was clear they were in a hurry.
Part of Ray wanted to start shooting and sell his life dearly, but the fact that these bastards were rushing meant the house's security had managed to raise the alarm — help would arrive soon.
Barely suppressing his anger, Ray covered Amaya with his body. Miku, who was sitting in the armchair, was left alone — it seemed they were even enjoying her screams.
"Sweetie, close your eyes and lie still, okay?" Ray said.
The girl seemed paralyzed with fear, but she nodded.
Ray's plan might have worked, but a guy walking by somehow noticed the girl was alive and said:
"Sweetheart, I'd really like to become your new daddy, I promise we'll have a good time together."
Ray knew there were things worse than death. Even if this bastard was the girl's chance to survive, her life could become hell. So when the man kicked him, Ray shot him in the head, immediately threw a grenade toward the voices, and then started firing back.
This was an unexpected turn for the guests, and they took losses.
"Torch it and get out! If this guy is who we were told, personally, I don't want to die here."
"Bruce, I wanted to have fun with his wife and daughter. Do what you want. All that might be left for you are corpses. I'm not going to put the guys at risk; we've completed our mission."
They managed to soak the entire first floor with gasoline, and the house went up like a matchstick.
These guys were not only professionals but also psychos. Looking into the girls' eyes, Ray saw only fear. Gently hugging the little one, he shot her in the head.
He didn't want the little girl to suffer, burning alive. This choice was extremely difficult for him. Lowering the little one, Ray looked at Miku, who was still crying, clutching the baby to her chest.
With difficulty reaching her, he said gently:
"Sweetie, I'll take care of her," and with that, he took the baby from her arms.
Only after these words did Miku look around and seem to understand what was happening.
"Do you know who did this?" the girl asked in a trembling voice.
"No, but whoever it was, I'm sure Yuno will find them."
"I won't ask for forgiveness because I know I don't deserve it."
"Don't talk nonsense, it's not your fault. Despite everything, the time we spent together was the happiest."
As soon as the girl finished speaking, Ray hugged her gently. When he was about to end her suffering, Miku said:
"Don't. I want to be together to the end."
The couple sat waiting for death, the entire first floor of the house engulfed in flames. As soon as the shooting stopped, Ray realized his body was pierced by numerous fragments — there was no chance for him. Miku had a chance, but almost zero, and after her newborn daughter died in her arms, her will to live was gone. Now they sat hugging each other, holding the children in their arms.
Scanning the living room, Ray noticed Kira's beautiful body, disfigured by shrapnel. The shock of her daughter's death and general weakness from combat training meant she hadn't even had a chance to react.
Ray believed Yuno would find and turn the lives of those who did this into hell.